6th Global mHealth App Developer Economics Study–early results in

click to enlargeresearch2guidance has shared with the Editors some of the preliminary results of the 6th Global mHealth App Developer Economics Study. Currently at 2,000 participants and open till the end of May (click here to take the 15 minute survey), it has grown to be the largest global market study of the sector. (Last year’s study topped out at more than 5,000 industry respondents and is available as a free download here.) For their time, respondents can view initial results upon completion of the survey, after publication in 2nd Quarter receive a copy of the report and be automatically entered into their prize draw of an Apple Watch or Samsung Gear.

Many of the results to date are neatly summarized in the infographic at left and below:

Market potential as a distributor: app stores still lead (61 percent) but half believe health insurers are now second. Doctors and hospitals trail at 42 percent and 38 percent respectively.

Most positive impact: following up and monitoring of conditions; information provision; diagnosis and treatment

But goals are still distant: 53 percent of respondents revealed they had only “partly achieved their goals”. 4 percent claimed their mHealth “dreams came true”. (Perhaps those who had their companies acquired? — Ed.)

Our definitions

Telehealth and Telecare Aware posts pointers to a broad range of news items. Authors of those items often use terms 'telecare' and telehealth' in inventive and idiosyncratic ways. Telecare Aware's editors can generally live with that variation. However, when we use these terms we usually mean:

• Telecare: from simple personal alarms (AKA pendant/panic/medical/social alarms, PERS, and so on) through to smart homes that focus on alerts for risk including, for example: falls; smoke; changes in daily activity patterns and 'wandering'. Telecare may also be used to confirm that someone is safe and to prompt them to take medication. The alert generates an appropriate response to the situation allowing someone to live more independently and confidently in their own home for longer.

• Telehealth: as in remote vital signs monitoring. Vital signs of patients with long term conditions are measured daily by devices at home and the data sent to a monitoring centre for response by a nurse or doctor if they fall outside predetermined norms. Telehealth has been shown to replace routine trips for check-ups; to speed interventions when health deteriorates, and to reduce stress by educating patients about their condition.

Telecare Aware's editors concentrate on what we perceive to be significant events and technological and other developments in telecare and telehealth. We make no apology for being independent and opinionated or for trying to be interesting rather than comprehensive.